Webster Receives $100k Grant from The William Randolph Hearst Foundations

Funds will aid in hiring two faculty members who will teach full-time while pursuing
a doctoral degree

ST. LOUIS (April 2, 2015) – The William Randolph Hearst Foundations’ Health Funding
Priority awarded a grant of $100,000 to Webster University’s nursing program. The
funds will aid in hiring two faculty members who will teach full-time while pursuing
a DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) or PhD in nursing. Hearst Foundations funding will
provide tuition reimbursement and additional funds toward degree completion totaling
up to $15,000 per year for a maximum of five years. Hearst faculty will commit to
a minimum of two additional post-doctoral years, putting them at, or approaching,
tenure eligibility.

“Webster University is pleased with the academic focus of this grant,” said President
Elizabeth (Beth) J. Stroble. “These funds will provide new nursing faculty for the
University, which will further strengthen Webster’s health-related STEMM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine) programming and will help prepare
nursing students to meet regional and national workforce shortages.”

“The University’s mission is to ensure high-quality learning experiences that transform
students,” said Julian Schuster, Webster’s provost, senior vice president and chief
operating officer (COO). “Thanks to the generosity of the William Randolph Hearst
Foundations, we can add at least two doctoral level educators to our nursing staff
which fulfills accreditation requirements for doctoral level faculty strengthening
our educational offerings to our students.”

Webster University’s Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program was accredited in
2002 by what is now the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) (3343
Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, Georgia 30326, Phone: (404) 975-5000). It prepares
nurses with advanced education to assume the roles of nurse educator and nurse leader.
Webster also offers an RN to BSN degree-completion program designed for adults working
full-time who want to advance their careers in nursing.

“Nurse faculty vacancy rates in the Midwest are even higher than the national average,”
said Jennifer Broeder, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Division
of Professional Programs and chair of the nursing department. “The largest barriers
to filling these vacancies are a limited pool of doctoral faculty. This grant will
be invaluable in helping produce strong faculty members for the nursing program allowing
Webster to build its long-term capacity to prepare tomorrow’s nurses.”

The Hearst Foundations are national philanthropic resources for organizations working
in the fields of culture, education, health and social services. The Hearst Foundations
identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds
in the United States have the opportunity to build healthy, productive and inspiring
lives. Since inception, the Foundations have made over 19,000 grants totaling more
than $925 million. The current asset value of the Foundations is approximately $825
million.

With its home campus in St. Louis, Webster University (www.webster.edu) is the only Tier 1, private, non-profit U.S.-based university providing a network
of international residential campuses and a robust online learning program. Founded
in 1915, Webster University’s campus network today includes metropolitan, military
and corporate locations around the world, as well as traditional campuses in Asia,
Europe, North America, and Africa. The university is committed to delivering high-quality
learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and individual
excellence.